Hair Loss

PLEASE DO NOT SHAVE YOUR HEAD UNTIL YOU KNOW FOR CERTAIN THAT THE CHEMO YOU WILL TAKE CAUSES HAIR LOSS!

Too many times I have heard the story of a person shaving their head as soon as they receive their diagnosis. Two stories were told to me about women who had shaved their heads when they would not in fact lose their hair, because the prescribed chemo did not cause hair loss. In several cases, even when the chemo prescribed causes hair loss, the hair stayed for many months. So, the first advice is, do not take any action until you are sure you want to and that it is warranted.

Kayla started to lose her hair about six weeks into chemo. Although we had prepared ourselves fully, it was pretty traumatic. Her hair kept falling out falling out for weeks. Until she got fed up with it and brushed her hair until it was coming out in clumps. What really undid me was a call to the bathroom from Kayla. When I walked in she was holding a large clump of hair in her hands. She had a crooked smile on her face as if saying it’s okay, I’m not that upset about it. Her smile was the type that was holding back tears. I do not remember what I said to her but I acted nonchalant about it and left the room. Later I bawled on my back porch.

Chemo attacks fast growing cells. Leukemia and other cancers are fast growing cells. Your hair is made up of fast growing cells. Therefore, to us, the hair loss was a sign that the chemo was working and doing it’s job.

My special rant about this subject. Far too much attention now-a-days is placed upon ones looks. This emphasized importance is, bluntly insane! I always told Kayla that nice people are beautiful and mean people are ugly. Thank goodness I did that long before she ever got sick. Because when she lost her hair she thought she was ugly and I would remind her of my chant, NICE PEOPLE ARE BEAUTIFUL, MEAN PEOPLE ARE UGLY. For me, this is a very true statement. People who are considerate, mannerly, and caring, are what make life pleasant. If the most beautiful person in the world is overbearing, inconsiderate and demanding, their round of friends would diminish rapidly. What upsets me about this whole thing is we have a generation of kids getting plastic surgery when they look fine. The emphasis should be on work, studies, manners and how to get on in the world. Bluntly, there are only a few careers that depend on very good looks. The rest of us out here have to actually work and are not required to look a certain way. That is the REAL WORLD. So there I have finished my rant. But, do not ever forget that goodness and work well done are what make people beautiful. This is also my little pep talk for those of you who are going through cancer and hair loss

Here is what I learned:

1. Do not wash scalp with shampoo or soap more

than once a week, because this will be or can be, very

drying to the skin. Instead rinse scalp with water and use

a conditioner to keep the scalp moisturized. We would

leave a small amount of conditioner on Kayla’s scalp

even after she finished her rinsing.

2. Wear hats if out in direct summer sun.

Because your head is used to having hair on it, the scalp

can burn easier than other parts of the body.

3. Once you have lost your hair and it starts to

grow back, do not get overly excited. In other words,

Kayla’s chemo cycles ran in eight week increments.

Depending upon the chemo, her hair would start to grow

back and then would fall out again. We are so used to her fuzzy head that I do not

even think about it anymore. Honestly, I love the fuzz because it reminds me of when

she was a baby, which happened to be the happiest time of my life.

4. Have fun with it. In other words, we bought hair paint and sprayed Kayla’s head pink and other colors. We only did this once because the chemicals in the hair paint gave her a headache. There are also make up crayons that can be used to decorate a sparse head. Kayla loves this very much! If people are going to look at you they might as well have something fun to look at

6. The best chemo cap was found at www.cancerfearsme.org, this is a fabulous website. What made

the chemo cap the best was the softness of the material and no itchy seams. Other than the hat I made for Kayla, this is the only other hat she would wear. This website is also a tool for fundraising. Please

go to the site and read their information.

7. If you would like more mature choices in head coverings go to www.4Women.com.

Pink Hair